A Boston-area man is using his military experience to help him fight for a place in Boston’s specialty coffee market in a mobile cafe.

“It was an important experience for the success of my business because the leadership, logistical and decision making skills I learned in a hostile environment,” Natick resident Andrew Russo, owner of Captain’s Coffee Brewers, recently told the Milford Daily News.

Russo’s company name refers to the fact that a few years ago, he served in Afghanistan as a Captain in the U.S. Army, where he had his first taste of military coffee.

“Back in Afghanistan, I use to drink a lot of military coffee because I had to stay awake for hours on end,” the 28-year-old told the paper.

After returning to the States, Russo, who never drank coffee before serving oversees, discovered the joys of artisan coffee, and eventually turned his passion into his mobile coffee shop.

“The truck helps reduce overhead costs compared to a brick-and-mortar cafe,” Russo said. “Also, at the time (we opened), mobile food was new in Boston. We saw an opportunity to go directly to the consumer.”